After trying to pull off comeback, Southwest falls to Douglass in state basketball tournament
Southwest almost pulled off another comeback in final minutes of a playoff game, but Douglass closed the door to grab back-to-back GHSA AA state titles by a score 56-46.
The Patriots got rolling early behind Avrie Grayer, as she paced the team with four points in the first quarter. Southwest carried a 13-12 lead into the second quarter.
Douglass took the lead behind guard Kayla Sesberry, who scored 18 of her game-high 25 in the first half. The Astros led 27-21 heading into the half.
The story of the first half was fouls as the two teams combined for 15 of them. Neither team could get anyone outside of Sesberry into rhythm with the calls coming quickly on both ends of the court.
Coming out of the half, Douglass extended its lead, outscoring the Patriots 14-9 in the third quarter. The Astros grabbed 17 rebounds in the third quarter to Southwest’s 8.
Rebounds proved to be the key to the game as Douglass outrebounded Southwest 51-30 for the game, including 24 offensive rebounds for 18 second-chance points.
The Patriots went into the fourth quarter down by 11 points. Senior guard Jakhyla Johnson and junior forward Stantagious Alford put on a show in the fourth quarter.
Alford was the hero of the semifinal game after knocking down a buzzer-beater to send Southwest to the finals. She drained back-to-back baskets with under four minutes to play to bring the score to 46-42 before Jakera Hill hit two free throws to cut the lead to two.
But Douglass allowed just one more basket as Sesberry put the game away for good with a layup at the 1:02 mark to put the Astros up 56-46.
Three Stars
Southwest forward Stantagious Alford: She was at her best down the stretch as she turned it on in the fourth quarter. She finished the game with 14 points, 8 rebounds and four steals. Alford will return next season and should be the star of a team that will lose a ton of seniors.
Southwest guard Jakhyla Johnson: In her final game for the Patriots, Johnson started slow getting into foul trouble and turning the ball over. But down the stretch, her senior leadership and big defensive play almost brought them back for the third straight game. Johnson finished the game with 14 points, 6 rebounds and 6 steals.
Douglass guard Kayla Sesberry: There was a moment in the game where she was outscoring Southwest 18-17. She took over this game and proved that the stage was just a chance to showcase her talent. In the second half, she got into foul trouble which allowed the Patriots to rally but once she got back in the game she helped close the door. She finished with 25 points and 7 rebounds.
Quotes
“We almost pulled it off again but we came up short this time. That is the way it happens. I am real proud of these kids. They fought all year.” -Southwest head coach Willie Goolsby on coming up short in the title game.
“It is big. It is always our goal to get to the big dance, the finals and we got there. We fought and had the chance at the end. It just wasn’t meant to be.” - Goolsby on what it means for Southwest to have this kind of season.
“It brings a lot of momentum for the kids coming up. They want to do the same thing. They want to get there too. It gave us a lot of momentum for the future.” - Goolsby on how this lays the foundation for the future.
This story was originally published March 5, 2020 at 4:01 PM.